Messages
by TheMacUnleashed
Summary: While evaluating the Temple's destruction, Lord Vader finds a familiar object that forces him to look back. About a month post-ROTS; two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Part I**

Vader's steps echoed throughout the ruined hall he walked through, his black cape flowing behind him. He nodded approvingly at the walls charred by blaster fire; clearly the Stormtroopers had done their job.

He turned to the clone walking next to him: Captain Rex. "You are sure no Jedi remain here?"

"Yes, sir. My men and I have checked all spaces that could be considered potential hiding spots for over a hundred different species that we expect were at the Temple at the time of Operation: Knightfall."

To virtually any other person, Rex's voice would have sounded stoic, the usual expressionless speech in which he and his 'brothers' spoke. However, Vader could sense his subtle fear; if not in the tone he spoke, then in the emotions rolling off of him like rain to the Sith Lord's life-sustaining suit.

He almost smiled, not that it could be seen beneath his mask. The Captain was still uncomfortable addressing him, as were most of the other men in the 501st. He wondered what would happen if they knew he was Anakin-

The thought was crushed as soon as it came to be, the life mentally squeezed out of it. _He_ was Darth Vader. The Troopers knew that, and that was all that mattered.

Abruptly he paused in front of the entrance to a once-familiar corridor that now looked like all others, scarred black in long streaks by flying blaster bolts. Rex, who had also halted, glanced at the barely-legible sign above it. "This leads to one of the wings where the Jedi were housed. The Master/Padawan Quarters, I believe."

"I am aware of our location, Commander." _I lived there for fourteen years of my life._

"Of course, Lord Vader."

He didn't acknowledge the response. Instead, he was focusing on the hazy murmurings of the Force, trying to find the reason as to just why he could hear blasters being fired and lightsabers whirring, and occasionally, a cry slipping into a world dominated by fire.

He turned to look down the hall he had strode through countless times, from which the echoes of memories seemed to be lingering in the largest clusters, or at where they were the most vocal, moaning and lamenting rather than the soft whispers present in every other wing of the Temple he had traveled through. Something seemed to be holding them in a sort of cage, making the past stick to the future as though they were welded together. A leftover artifact that the clones hadn't recognized, most likely.

Or a hidden Jedi that had seen the death of his –or her- comrades, and was now unwilling to leave their gravesite, until they avenged their fallen friends.

It was a long shot, he knew: The 501st was composed of _the _most efficient clones- Stormtroopers, rather; he still wasn't quite used to the new title, even after the changes had been in effect almost a month. They had an even higher success rate in their missions than all other legions, and with all of Jango Fett's replicas allegedly being the same mentally and physically, that one specific group could break off was almost… impressive. They would have to be highly talented to break away from their already above-average 'brothers'.

Still, the Jedi were tricksters, as proved by the way reports of them were still showing up even after the supposedly impenetrable Order 66 was executed. It was simple for even a basic Force-user to hide themselves from others not as perceptive, others like the Stormtroopers.

He turned to Rex; the Human would just be an annoying diversion during his scan for the Jedi, and quite honestly, he wasn't certain if he could resist the urge to squeeze the man's windpipe, just to prove that he did indeed know what he was doing, and that he was perfectly capable of completing a simple scan of the grounds upon which he had spent years of his life. "I will examine this area further. You will remain here." He didn't phrase it as a question.

"Yes, Lord Vader." Despite the prompt answer that was given so swiftly, it almost seemed instinctive, he could sense no small amount of hesitation radiating from the Captain.

Such uncertainties had no place in one in as influential a position as Rex. "You have doubts?"

Again, he could sense an inner struggle, this time between being questionless, as was expected of him, and being honest. "I was instructed to stay with you."

_That _ was his only defense? No wonder disputes between Imperial planets couldn't be settled by the Troopers. "And now you have been told to stay here. Must I explain further?"

"No, sir." He drew his blaster with his left hand; saluted with his right.

Vader turned away from him, deciding to not acknowledge the display of loyalty. Instead, he focused only on the rooms that he passed as he walked down the hallway. The echoes lingering to the side of all his senses were omnipresent –After all, Operation: Knightfall hadn't been limited to any one location of the Temple– but they were indeed getting stronger as he went deeper into the foyer. Instead of just seeing shadowy silhouettes of Jedi and clones, he could now make out faces, and, with regards to the otherwise identical soldiers, markings on armour.

The sounds of blaster fire grew louder in his mind as he approached a certain chamber, or rather, a former one: The walls that had once wrapped around it were now mostly burnt, and even the parts still standing, the ones that had somehow avoided complete devastation, were scarred where countless blaster bolts had hit.

It was odd to see how the apartments he had once lived in with his Master had changed in a relatively short time. Such erosion to what he had known had also been present on Tatooine, but then again, he had strayed from that hellish planet for nine years of his life, not just a month.

A month… that was all it had taken for him to change so utterly and completely that if he ever saw his former self, he didn't think he would recognize him.

Vader yanked himself out of the pointless reverie. If there was any reason he was unable to look at what he had once been, it was out of the shame that came from being so pathetically weak, to the point that he had once been a Jedi.

He stepped through what had once been a doorway and entered the room, merely for the sake of proving that he could indeed face the memories conceived in this very location.

The Sith Lord scanned the quarters he stood in. They had the same defeated look as every other set of rooms he had been in, and yet, there seemed to be a stronger residue of memories lingering.

In a few long steps, he strode into one of the bedrooms, and, seeing nothing, spared no time moving to the next. Again, he found nothing but the faint sounds of blasters being fired, and the scent of smoke, which lingered around him just enough so that he knew it was there, yet he was unable to pinpoint its exact location.

Vader headed back towards the main room, frustrated. It seemed almost as if the 'echoes' were only figments of his imagination, brought on by a location overflowing with personal meaning.

He wondered if they would leave on their own or if, like the suit he now wore, they would forever be a part of him.

Nonsense. Unlike the memories, the suit actually _existed,_ created for him by engineers and medical droids. The 'echoes' were just thoughts, tales wound in his own mind.

He was exiting his former apartments, convinced that was true, when something shining amongst the ash and charred segments of the wall caught his eye.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n: I do reference letters from the English Alphabet here. I know that the SW universe has its own, but this keeps things a lot simpler, just in case anyone isn't familiar with AureBesh.**

**Part II**

Vader slowed his steps to cast a glance at the glinting object. It looked vaguely… familiar. Stopping completely, he turned away from the exit and bent down to closed a black-gloved hand around it. With one finger he brushed the ash off of it, so he could see just what it was.

It was a comlink. There was nothing fancy about it: Your basic hologram platform, with several buttons to navigate through the messages it held. It was designed to hang from one's belt, probably, it had been a Jedi's.

He was about to drop it, to get out of this place where the Force spilled over with the feelings of fallen men, women, and children, when he noticed some scratches on the comlink's side that set it apart from most. He was tempted to pass them off as damages made during Operation: Knightfall, but the Force was whispering urgently, quietly screaming at him.

Well, if all he had to do was look at a few scars to make the cursed echoes go away…. He held it up closer to the mask protecting his real face, turning it over to get a clearer glance at the pockmarks. The lines had been made deliberately, judging by how straight and clean they were. They formed letters: AS.

His breathing remained steady, regulated by some sort of Force-cursed machinery. But had he been able to, it would have sped up and turned to harsh gasps as he recognized the comlink that had once belonged to him.

Vader –Or, Anakin Skywalker, as had been his title at the time- was constantly misplacing the device. Of course, he had had several backups for times when its location had slipped his mind, but this was the main one, the one he was supposed to use.

His fingers found the buttons on the side and pressed one, just to see if it was still working. He had assumed otherwise: Though the makers of the device claimed it to be both water and fireproof, during… past experiences, he had learned just how fragile the things could be. Therefore, he was almost surprised when a high-pitched, mechanical voice drifted up from one of the speakers.

"Anakin Skywalker. You have ninemessages currently being stored in your Holo-Brand Comlink. Please press the yellow button again to access them beginning with the one sent the longest time ago. All units of time are measured in Coruscanti standard units…" The recording rambled on.

He jammed a different button at random in an attempt to silence it. It worked, but not in the way he had wished.

Instead, the voice changed, and this time it had a small, holographic image to accompany the sound.

"_Master, Rex and I just made planetfall on Nihya. I know you're probably really busy right now, with the war that's going on right now and all that, but this _is _my first solo mission._" His onetime Padawan flashed him a quick grin, revealing the sharp teeth associated with the Togruta species. _ "Of course, I suppose that there's an equally likely chance that you're off wasting time somewhere instead of rescuing Chancellor Palpatine and you didn't want to be disturbed. That, or you've just lost this comlink. _Again. _Just contact me in case you need an update on the raid. Ahsoka Tano out._"

She had been breaking into a Separatist Base on In'cuir while he was rescuing the man he now called 'My Lord'. During the tumult leading up to Order 66, he never found the time to reach her.

After, he hadn't wanted to.

He stabbed another button, hoping to delete the damned message, and indeed, he did: The Togruta flickered out, to be replaced by a tall, Korun Jedi Master.

"_Anakin Skywalker,"_ he folded his hands and straightened his pose in no subtle attempt to remind the owner of the comlink of the power he possessed, _"The Council congratulates you on your latest conquest of Shili. For the sake of the Republic, we hope you have more victories in your future." _Mace bowed his head, in a stiff gesture of respect.

Fool. Were the Jedi so arrogant that they thought a mere nod from a high-ranking man was a reward to be cherished?

He turned to the exit, tossing aside the device like the piece of bantha fodder it was. Perhaps Sidious would allow for another inferno to sweep through the cursed place, and let it burn away the echoes…

"_Anakin, it's been so long since I've seen you."_

Vader halted immediately, and turned around slowly. With more haste, he picked up the Comlink, unable to look away from the hologram of his wife. Even when represented in only a fuzzy picture shorter than the length of his hand, Padmé was still breathtaking.

"_So much has happened. Please, be safe. I won't believe you are until you're in my arms again, but it would provide some peace of mind if you disproved the HoloNet reports, the ones that claim on a regular basis that you've gone and gotten yourself injured, or worse." _She clasped her hands over her stomach. _"So much depends on you… come soon, Anakin, and maybe we can find an escape from this war." _The Comlink froze on that final image of her staring straight ahead, as if she could see the man she fell in love with.

The Sith Lord pressed one of the switches on the side, desperate to hear the message again. He knew it would only bring him conflict, and yet, he found he couldn't bring himself to give up one of the few relics he had found about _him_; one of the remaining snapshots into something that could never be duplicated.

Instead, though, the scene changed once more, this time into his former Master.

"_Anakin, the mission on M'yme was a success. You'll be glad to know that all casualties, clones and civilians, were kept to a minimum." _ He smiled. _ "Relay that information on to your Padawan, will you? I think she's gotten very attached to some of the troopers, and she'll be glad to know that Cody and the part of the gang that was with me is fine."_ His expression flickered slightly. _"Well, for the most part. I'll give you the full briefing the next time I see you. Kenobi out."_

Brief and pointless. Just like all of the lessons the Jedi had given him over the years.

He deleted that one, or at least he hoped he had. An image of Yoda came up in response.

_Beep_. Deleted. He was in no mood to listen to whatever the troll had had to say.

A clone appeared in the place of the once well-known Jedi Master.

_Beep. _Probably just some useless mission briefing. Too late for that now.

Luminara Unduli. Palpatine- Important as Sidious, but not as the weakling the Jedi had forced him to play.

Their words were irrelevant now.

Shaak Ti. Dead, hopefully. Not important.

In his frustration, the Sith wished he wasn't alone in the small apartment. He imagined reaching out, wrapping his anger around the neck of someone…

Nine messages. One was left.

Vader erased Shaak's message, stopping the lilting accent she spoke with in mid-sentence.

The last one appeared.

"_Master, they're shooting at me, the clones, I mean. There's too many of them; are you okay? I was fine one moment, and then-" _Something abruptly cut off the hysterical Ahsoka. The scene displayed a blurred landscape for several seconds longer, before it finally blinked out.

"_Anakin Skywalker. You have no unwatched messages remaining. To record-" _With a feral snarl the Sith threw the comlink across the room.

"Anakin Skywalker."

Vader turned around, half because of an instinctive response to respond to his former title–a response he tried desperately to conquer, although it was hard to shove down twenty-three years of learning- and partially because he wanted to know who would dare spy on him like that.

Standing amid the rubble and beneath a scarred doorway stood Commander Rex, his blaster cocked at the Sith Lord. "I should have known. Creatures –_things-_ like you don't just appear out of thin air, Vader."

He wanted to laugh. This meat droid wished to challenge him? "Such disobedient behavior will get you executed, clone."

"Just like _she_ disobeyed?" From his emphasis on the word, Vader assumed he was talking about the girl he had once trained.

Rex stepped forward, his blaster still aimed at Vader. "I was with her, you know. On Nihya, when Order 66 was given out. I watched my men kill her." Through the Force, he sensed the clone's heart start to beat faster. "I didn't shoot the killing bolt, but I might as well have. I watched as my men, my subordinates, chased after the most loyal commanding officer I had ever seen –yes, even more so than you, Anakin Skywalker- and I didn't say a word, because that was what I was trained to do. In fact, during the moments I wondered if just maybe Ahsoka did stage a rebellion against the Republic, I admired her.

"Yes, that would have meant she went against everything I'd ever been taught. But it also would have meant that she had the courage to do so." He lifted the blaster higher in a trembling hand. "I think that's where I get the courage to do this from."

Vader had known it was coming even before his finger pressed the trigger, so he had plenty of time to channel his earlier rage, put it to use. He ducked easily out of the way as the blaster bolt cut through the air towards him and watched as it hit the wall at almost the exact moment Rex fell to the ground.

He stood over the fallen clone, just looking at the body for a moment. Then he reached down and picked up the blaster. He didn't bother carrying one: He had his lightsaber and, more importantly, the Force, and it was a rare occasion when he actually needed to use one of the pistols.

Carefully, the Sith aimed at the comlink, glittering once again amidst the ashes. He pressed the trigger, watching in satisfaction as the little device finally broke apart. He cast a disgusted glance down at Rex, and turned away from the traitor and from the comlink, and the messages it had held, recordings gone forever.

Vader walked out of the apartments he had once lived in, the place where memories had been made, confronted and, most importantly, conquered.

The Force was silent.

**A/n: This was inspired by the growing number of humour fanfictions written as characters' inboxes. I started to wonder, what if someone wrote a serious fic based on that? This was the end result.**


End file.
